83 - Huntleys Point, over Gladesville Bridge, under Tarban Bridge

The Three Bridges Walk sounds frightfully impressive but it was an easy walk.  We did in fact cover three bridges one way or another.

On this beautiful July warm sunny day we commenced our walk  in Huntleys Point, that rather exclusive littler suburb  in Sydney’s Hunter Hill Municipality located on the northern shore of the Parramatta River.

From Huntleys Point Road we headed  under the Tarban Creek Bridge which we walked over in November last year.  

 under Gladesville Bridge

Entrance stairs on to Gladesville Bridge from Huntleys Point

Gladesville Bridge - northern end

Parramatta River from bridge

Backyards Huntleys Point

Parramatta River/Huntleys Point

High above Huntleys Point

Five dock Bay foreground

Drummoyne, Abbottsford, Cabrita,Looking Glass Bay, Gladesville

Drummoyne 

south end Gladesville Bridge

Under Gladesville Bridge

Stain at Hunters Hill

  

After following the grassy verge alongside noisy Victoria Road we found the spiral stairs leading up to the footbridge high across Victoria Road.  We were able to gaze down on  the never ending traffic way below.  Then we continued over and down the other side descending  alongside Riverside School.

We gained access to the Gladesville Bridge footpath  via the entrance stairs on the northern end of the bridge.  The Bridge links Hunters Hill to Drummoyne part of  Victoria Road carrying traffic on the Northern Western Expressway. 

Coffee at Stain,   Hunters Hill.

Walkers:  Pippa, Marie-Claire, Moira, Jane, Donna, Carolle

82 Banjo Patterson Park, Gladesville Hospital, Bedlam Point

Approaching Jetty, Looking Glass Bay

Convict built remains of old ferry punt walls

Bedlam Bay

ghosts in the trees 

Mass grave nearby see Wiki notes

The old Boat Shed

Gladesville Hospital

Gladesville Hospital

Banjo Patterson Park, Bedlam Point, Gladesville Hospital, Looking Glass Bay:  Our Tuesday Walk  started on Punt Road in Gladesville which leads directly to the front of Banjo Patterson Restaurant, “Rockend” once home to eminent  journalist, author, clerk, poet, Andrew Barton “Banjo” Patterson OBE. He lived there with his Grandmother while attending Sydney Grammar school. (and Wendy, our Archibald Guide  “Banjo” Patterson’s portrait by John Longstaff was the winning portrait in 1935!

We  wandered into the 1830 Cottage to look around.  The cottage/restaurant along with the  surrounding garden area is beautifully kept and  well maintained.   The house overlooks Looking Glass Bay with its  attractive jetty from where we had views to Abbotsford with the Sydney Rowing Club in sight which brought back memories of another walk.   

From Looking Glass Bay we followed the path leading towards  Bedlam Point  which is adjacent to the grounds of old Gladesville Mental Hospital.  Here we found a less pristine area with morning glory spreading its vines, asparagus fern digging in everywhere,  weeds of every description entangled with the shore natural bush overlooked in places by massive shadowy Fiscus lining  the old stone walls. A thousand inmate ghosts swirled silently, sadly in the darkness of the branches above, wafting, watching us.    

Checking the map once again in an attempt to follow where our footsteps had led us it seems we saw little of Gladesville Mental Hospital complex itself  While we saw some  of the old buildings, there are yet many more to be seen in this sprawling space. What we did see though were some rather neglected and shored up old buildings while many other buildings have been taken over by a variety of medical and care related organisations. We came across part of the old sandstone wall which is heavily impressive. Many of the  buildings are, glad to say, on the National Register. 

While researching this area  I found a wonderful Picture Essay of the precinct which also informed that there is a mass grave of over 1000 unnamed inmates buried there, downed out of sight.  This seems a tragedy since we now know that people were often institutionalised unnecessarily.

We wound  back to Punt Road having peered over the old walls, found the old gate,  stepped over intrusive weeds while earlier we had  appreciated the well built steel walkway which guided us safely along the lower cliff walk above the little bays.  

To sum up - it was an excellent exploratory walk, so pretty with clean clear Parramatta River water in the bays below, a couple of tiny almost hidden beaches, oyster encrusted rocks, wrens and willie-wagtails adding  delight. 

We chose to drive to Hunters Hill “la Village" for coffee, a cafe which was more or less on the way homewards.

Walkers: Moira, Pippa, Marie-Claire, Carolle

81 The Magazines Track photos

Magazines Track :

Who would believe that we could find yet another interesting track, another place to go but this we did today, again on the Magazines Track, named for the  Magazines buildings which were the storage facilities for merchants’ explosives  from 1915 to 1974.  These buildings were crucial for storage  of explosives  used for public works such as the Sydnery Harbour Bridge and also used by the Australian Navy during World War II .   Although our track  led us close and  above the Magazine buildings they are best viewed from the other side of Bantry Bay as there is no access at all as they are fenced off by barbed wire.

At the beginning of the walk it was pretty much down hill, steep down hill too, most of the way on a rocky path on a rocky hill with fairly dense vegetation.   We crossed Bates Creek quite easily although it looked quite forbidding. The track was well signposted .  After the creek crossing the service trail morphed into a narrow track where we faced a bit of scrambling plus very careful foot work.   Muscles were tested, balance was tested, legs were tested.  A very good walk. Huffy Puffy good.

Coffee  (and  eclairs) at Killarney Heights -  le Parisiene Cafe followed by a browse in The Shoe Shop once upon a time the famous shoe shop in Northbridge.

Walkers:  Pippa, Jane, Marie-Claire, Moira, Wendy, Donna, Carolle

80 Blackbutt Creek Walk, Gordon

Blackbutt Track

Not a Blackbutt

After our Group met on Vale road in Gordon the entrance to the track was easily found.  It proved to be a wide open trail in the Reserve which is home to some of the tallest Blackbutt trees along with attractive Turpentines and Peppermint trees.   After a lucky little lesson from Marie-Claire I now may be able to differentiate between the barks of the Blackbutts and the Turpentines.   Powerful Owls have been recorded in this reserve - too few of them left in our forests and parklands, sadly. 

The track descended down hill eventually crossing the creek.   The entire  walk, there and back, was very close to built up areas.   At one point, before turning back  traffic noise from Lane Cove road was constant  but for the greater distance walked the tranquility of the bush prevailed.  Happily, bird song and sound everywhere which is NOT something we often have. 

Coffee at Gordon’s Pablo and Rusty’s   

Walkers: Pippa, Moira, Marie-Claire, Donna, Jane, Kate, Carolle

 Wendy sadly missed out because of a nasty flat tyre

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Next Walks:

79 Dee Why South to Curl Curl Beach (2)

Dee Why to Curl Curl and back -

Warnings of stormy weather plus strong winds ensured that we were well prepared for our walk from Dee Why to Curl Curl exposed as we would be to the worst weather alongside the sea and up on a headland walk.   Within minutes though jackets, scarves and hats were abandoned as clearly the weather forecast was unfounded,  nothing but a great big myth - No howling wind  but instead a pleasant warm sunny morning.  Only later in the day did the winds hit Sydney thus we were able to enjoy a beautiful part of the Northern Beaches coastal walk without the discomfort of wind, rain or for that matter, cold.

We were astounded by the number of wildflowers along the way -  this is June you know.   The rocky platforms at the southern end of Dee Why beach are spectacular when gazed upon from a little bit of height.  Dozens of seagulls stood solemnly staring out to sea, perhaps waiting for the winds to arrive.  Very decorative they were too.

We strode on and up sometimes completely immersed in the seaside bush with neither sea nor houses in sight.  On this particular stretch of walk dwellings cling to most of the cliff top but the bush keeps them hidden so one can feel divorced from  suburbs for a little while.    Curl Curl beach view was our destination from which higher point  we had good views of the beachside suburbs all the way round to the Norfolk pines on Manly beach.   

Here, at the Curl Curl turn around point  we were surprised by the first shrubby Acacia in bright bloom heralding all the Mimosa yellow soon to come.

Back to Dee Why beach with the reverse views in sight.   We had coffee at the brand new one week old cafe, The Beach Shed.  So new that iced coffee was not on the menu and when ordered there was the instant agreement, yes, they could do that as the cost  was quickly assessed by the staff. No doubt they now have ‘Iced coffee” added to their menu.  A  cute, rough and tumble atmosphere, milk crates to  sit on along the walk-way outside opposite the ocean but our genteel group found a sunny table  with chairs.  

By the way this walk has some helpful boardwalks as well as thoughtfully crafted handrails at tricky points.

Walkers:  Marie-Claire, Wendy, Jane, Carolle

on track towards Curl Curl

Dee Why rocks

Brand new - week old shed cafe